(Newswire.net -- June 19, 2018) -- There’s a difference between service and hospitality. Service is what you do for someone. Hospitality is how you make someone feel. Great service is when someone brings you exactly what you ordered promptly and places it in front of you from your left side. Hospitality is giving someone a complimentary glass of wine because it’s their 50th wedding anniversary.

Outstanding service is important, but outstanding hospitality is key to success. Below, you’ll find five hospitality-based ways to distance your business from its competition:

1) Start Internally

When employees feel empowered, they’ll buy into whatever it is your company is trying to accomplish. If you want to distance yourself from the competition, start by making sure your staff feels appreciated and supported.

One of the best ways to do this is to give them decision-making power. Give them the confidence to proactively fix customer solutions independently. Let them practice creativity, individuality and ultimately provide them with the confidence they need to make your customers feel great.

As an entrepreneur, you can do this by setting out a predefined limit for your employees. Without permission, every one of your employees should be able to spend the predefined amount on behalf of customers to improve their experience. Whether you permit them to comp a dish for a special occasion or you let them offer a discounted rate for a future stay, it’s more the thought than the monetary value that counts.

2) Revamp Your Technology

Service is pretty human-based, but hospitality is more far-reaching. You can greatly influence the way someone feels through technology.

An increasing amount of customers are getting their information about restaurants, hotels, airlines and more online. The businesses that beat out their competition have stand-out websites that are informative and user-friendly. You’ll know your website is performing effectively when an online shopper can take advantage of your call to action in 59 seconds or less.

Customers also want technology to integrate seamlessly into their in-house experiences. Companies like Rooam allow a customer to manage and pay their bill when it’s most convenient for them. Luckily, this is a win-win for both parties. On average, Rooam increases ticket size by 58 percent and tip percentages by 37 percent—needless to say, technology can help.

3) Invest In Ongoing Training

The best hospitality businesses know that training should never stop. If you develop a program that can help your team members improve in their current roles and train for the positions above them, you’ll improve your current workforce and your future team.

Training can also be used to solidify company values and culture, which can help increase employee loyalty and retention. When an employee is up-to-date on their role and a brand’s goals, they’ll become an expert at ensuring lasting and positive experiences for customers.

4) Track and Improve Customer Satisfaction

Start a dialogue with your customers about their experiences. Listening to customers will allow you to truly improve your weak spots and capitalize on your strong points.

Feedback can be gathered online—whether it’s on your website or a tool like Yelp—or in person. Make sure you provide your customers with several ways to give feedback so more and more people will contribute.

There are also independent tools that your company can use to broadly track customer satisfaction. For example, staySky Hotel Management Company’s reservation services tool can be used to analyze how hotel customers book. It can also help you determine what persuades customers to choose your hotel over other options.

5) Reward Your Team

Another way entrepreneurs can improve their businesses is to provide hospitality to their workforce. Great industry leaders, like Chipotle and Hyatt, have implemented programs that make their teams feel appreciated and valued.

If you want to stand out, invest time and effort into your employees and treat them like customers. This will inspire your employees to care more about your company, their work and the customers you serve together.

Several companies offer solutions that can help you recognize your employees in seconds. With the Kudos Slack app, you can send and receive recognition messages and even give out rewards for a job well done instantaneously.

Commit to Excellence—Today

To advance to the forefront of the hospitality industry, you need to strive for excellence in every facet of your business. Instead of focusing on what you do for people, shift your perspective and think about how you make people feel. Everyone you come in contact with—from your customers to your employees—should feel better off because they’ve interacted with your brand.

Eric 'ERock' Christopher is the founder and CEO of www.localbusinessrockstar.com, an online marketing agency based in Phoenix, AZ. ERock Christopher has helped dozens of small businesses, from start-ups to national companies, wit... moreEric 'ERock' Christopher is the founder and CEO of www.localbusinessrockstar.com, an online marketing agency based in Phoenix, AZ. ERock Christopher has helped dozens of small businesses, from start-ups to national companies, with their online marketing and offline advertising. Local Business Rockstar specializes in creative marketing campaigns backed by stringent tracking and analytics to ensure a positive ROI.